1859-O Double Eagle (1859-O $20) NGC AU50 CAC. This rare 1859-O Double Eagle has glowing mint luster within its devices. Its subdued abrasion marks do not significantly detract from its over-all eye appeal. In fact it is even semi-prooflike in its protected areas. The coin shows light wear on its highest points, in keeping with the grade, which is confirmed with its CAC sticker. The strike is above average on the obverse and even better on the reverse, where every detail is sharp and clear.

On the reverse there is a die crack from the rim through the E in UNITED to the eagles wing, and there are several die clash marks on both sides of the coin, especially on the obverse. There are also some die polishing marks on the obverse above Libertys ear. Evidently clash marks there bothered the mint worker, but numerous other bold clash marks were ignored. In any case, none of these marks detract from the coins desirability or its grade. The Liberty or Coronet Head double eagle was minted from 1849 to 1907. In 1866 the motto IN GOD WE TRUST was added to the coin, and in 1877 the denomination was changed from an abbreviation to TWENTY DOLLARS. Therefore, the 1859-O double eagle is a Type One of three for this design.

The California Gold Rush began with the discovery of gold at Sutters Mill in California in January, 1848. Hoard of miners and others engulfed the area. The vast quantity of gold produced led to a need for a standard form of exchange. The double eagle was the governments response. They also felt that the double eagle would be useful for large commercial and interbank transactions and that it would facilitate foreign trade.

Designed by James B. Longacre, the double eagle made use of the Coronet motif. It shows a profile of Liberty facing left with her hair tied tightly in back with two loose curls hanging down. She is surrounded by thirteen six pointed stars with the date below. Dentils are near the edge on both sides of the coin. The reverse shows a heraldic eagle with elaborate ribbons on both sides of the shield extending from the top corner down to the eagles tail feathers. The ribbons are inscribed, on the left E PLURIBUS and UNUM on the right. The ribbons were added to the design to symbolize the denomination since this was the first twenty dollar double eagle coin. An oval of thirteen stars is above the eagles head and an arc of rays from wing tip to wing tip is behind the upper half of the oval. The required inscription is in an arc above the eagle, and the denomination TWENTY D. is below. The mint mark is between the tail feathers and the N of TWENTY.

On September 16, 1844, James Barton Longacre was appointed Engraver of the United States Mint because of the death of Christian Gobrecht. Although he leaned heavily on designs of his predecessor, many of his designs were his own. One of them in particular was the double eagle which endured until well into the next century.

In 2003 the Odyssey Marine group salvaged 51,000 coins from the wreck of the S.S. Republic, which sank in 1865 off the coast of Savannah, Georgia. The ship carried in face value $400,000 in gold and silver. Only two of the recovered coins were 1859-O double eagles.

The 1859-O double eagle has been described as the fourth-rarest O-mint of the series. The coin had an original mintage of 9,100, which means it is rare in all conditions. In its population report NGC shows a total of 50 coins certified. In AU50 there are 8 with 33 better.